Warriors gain revenge on Zeps with 8-4 W

Published: April 26, 2004 8:00PM

Darren McCulloch
The Daily Jeffersonian
Buckeye Trail got some revenge on Monday night against Shenandoah at Don Coss Field. After falling 16-6 on the road earlier in the year, the Warriors avenged the loss with an 8-4 win that was cut short in the fifth inning because of rain.
Shenandoah plated the first run, thanks to an error from Buckeye Trail. Tim Crum ripped a two-out single up the middle to drive home Matt Harris and give the Zeps a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors came back with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first. Jordan Thompson singled to left. After Matt Gilmore reached on an error that scored Thompson and Corey Burt was walked, Corey Ripley smoked a double to deep left-center, driving in two more runs. Aaron Carpenter crushed a double to the left-center gap to drive home Ripley and help Buckeye Trail claim a 4-1 lead.
The Warriors got two more runs in the second innings. With the bases full of Buckeye Trail baserunners, Burt launched a double to left that scored both Michael Booth and Thompson, however, Gilmore got cut down at the plate to end the rally. After the two runs, the Warriors had a 6-1 lead.
Buckeye Trail added another run in the third inning. Ripley reached on an error and quickly advanced all the way to third. Ethan Williams laced a single to right to drive home Ripley and advance the Warriors lead to 7-1.
With the rain coming down in the top of the fifth, the Zeps scored three more runs. Harris reached on an error and Schwieterman was hit by a pitch. Nathan Hedge drove home Harris on a single to right. Shawn Lively singled to left and because of the wet grass Buckeye Trails left fielder slipped and fell resulting in both pinch-runner Spencer Wise and Hedge scoring on the play and cutting the deficit to 7-4.
Ripley got a double and scored on a Shenandoah error to start the bottom of the fifth before the umpires decided to call the game due to the chance of injury in the wet field.
Buckeye Trail head coach Cory McQuain was pleased with his team is picking it up at the right time.
Weve picked it up the last week and a half, McQuain stated. We hit the ball well. Meadowbrook shut us down, but we came back tonight. One through nine is hitting. Kevin Shipe threw an excellent ball game. He served up some pitches with the lead. However, with the lead all I ask for is for him to throw strikes. Were getting hot at the right time...we have won five out of our last six.
Shenandoah took advantage of an early Buckeye Trail error to score a run in the first inning.
Shenandoah head coach Justin Denius knew errors is what killed his team.
We made too many errors, Denius admitted. Theres not a whole lot more than that. Weve won two or three in-a-row because we were fielding the ball. We didnt field it, we didnt throw it and we didnt win. They (Buckeye Trail) hit the ball well. Matt got behind some and had to throw fastballs.
Shipe (3-2) struck out three and walked three in the victory. Ripley had two doubles, two RBI and three runs to lead Buckeye Trail (7-9, 6-3 PVC).
Burt added a double, two RBI and a run; Thompson added two singles and two runs; Carpenter finished with a double; and Williams had a single and an RBI.
Harris (0-6) fanned two and walked two in the losing effort for the Zeps (5-11, 1-7 PVC). Hedge had two singles, a run and an RBI to lead Shenandoah.
Shawn Lively had two singles and an RBI; Tim Crum had an RBI single; and Harris scored two runs and stole a base.
NEXTBuckeye Trail and Shenandoah both return to action Wednesday. The Warriors will face Beallsville at Don Coss Field at 5 p.m. while Shenandoah will visit Bellaire St. Johns at 5.